Trapezoidal door for closing the trapezoidal opening of a building structure

ABSTRACT

A door for use in connection with a building structure having a trapezoidal-shaped door opening with a correspondingly shaped building door frame, the door formed of a pair of sections, namely, an upper section and a lower section hingedly or pivotally connected together, a guide assembly comprising a guide track in the sides of the building door frame and cooperating with means secured to the door, which means move in the guide tracks to hold the lower section of the door adjacent the building door frame as the door moves upwardly to open position and downwardly to closing position, and means for moving the door to open and closed positions.

United States Patent [191 Gile [451 Mar. 18, 1975 TRAPEZOIDAL DOOR FOR CLOSING THE Appl. No.: 403,216

US Cl. 160/188 Int. Cl E04f 15/00 Field of Search 160/188, 189, 207, 212

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Heinzelman 160/212 Sanders Pauli Primary ExaminerPeter M. Caun Attorney, Agent, or FirmMax R. Kraus [57] ABSTRACT A door for use in connection with a building structure having a trapezoidal-shaped door opening with a correspondingly shaped building door frame, the door formed of a pair of sections, namely, an upper section and a lower section hingedly or pivotally connected together, a guide assembly comprising a guide track in the sides of the building door frame and cooperating with means secured to the door, which means move in the guide tracks to hold the lower section of the door adjacent the building door frame as the door moves upwardly to open position and downwardly to closing position, and means for moving the door to open and closed positions.

9 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTEB MAR I 81975 SHEUIUF4 PATENTEDHAR I 8|975 SHEET 2 OF 4 mmw TRAPEZOIDAL DOOR FOR CLOSING THE TRAPEZOIDAL OPENING OF A BUILDING STRUCTURE BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In building structures used for airplane hangers, for storage and the like, which were made with trapezoidal-shaped door openings, the doors were mounted so that they would slide laterally in respect to the door opening. This was objectionable in that the width of the door opening was reduced by the sliding doors.

The present invention overcomes these objectionable features in that the door is formed in a trapezoidal shape and is bifolded and has means on the lower section of the door which cooperate with guide means on the inclined sides of the door frame of the building structure for maintaining the door sections cooperatively connected to the door frame as the door folds and unfolds as it is raised and lowered with respect to the door frame. This provides for a door opening with the maximum open area and eliminates the objections heretofore encountered.

Another object of this invention is to provide a bifold door in which the electric motor and the cooperating gears which are mounted for raising and lowering the door are carried on the lower section of the door.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. I is a front outside view showing the trapezoidal door in closed position withrespect to the building structure with a portion broken away.

FIG. 2 is a view partly in section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an inside plan view of the door with a schematic of the door operating mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary exploded view in perspective of certain of the operating parts for guiding the movement of the door.

FIG. 5 is aview taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a view partly in section taken on line 66 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the operating mechanism for operating the door.

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view showing the door in its fully closed position.

FIG. 9 in full lines is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 8 but showing the door in a partially folded or partially raised position and in dotted lines showing the door in its fully open or retracted position; and

FIG. 10 is a front view with the door in fully retracted or open position.

Only that portion of the building structure which cooperates with the door, as illustrated, will be described in connection with the drawings.

The building structure comprises a top or horizontal roof with downwardly extending spaced sides or side walls, which sides or side walls are inclined outwardly from the top towards the ground or floor surface to form a trapezoidal-shaped front door opening generally designated at 2 and best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The building is also provided with the usual rear or back wall, not shown. The trapezoidal door opening 2 isborclered by a door frame generally indicated at 4 which has a top horizontal beam 6 and outwardly inclined side beams 8 which with the floor 10 of the building struc- LII ture forms a trapezoidal-shapeddoor frame which is closed by the bifold door to be described.

More specifically, the trapezoidal door frame comprises a top horizontal steel I-beam 6 and a pair of downwardly and outwardly inclined side steel l-beams 8, all of which are suitably connected to thebuilding structure and are part of the building structure and form the trapezoidal door frame. The inclined side beams 8 extend the full height of the side walls of the building structure and correspond to the angular inclination of the side walls of the building structure.

Secured within the forwardly facing side or channel 13 of the side I-beam is aguide trackway generally designated at 14 comprising a rear wall 15, spaced side walls 16 each with an inwardly extending front wall 17,

with'the inner edges 18 of said front walls spaced from each other to provide a longitudinally extending guideway slot 20 for the arm portion of a guiding member, presently to be described, which travels and moves along the height of the trackway 14 in guiding the door as it moves from closed to open position and vice versa. The trackway 14 is centrally positioned in the channel or facing side of the I-beam 8 and is secured to the wall 21 of the I-beam by brazing or suitable fastening means 22 and follows the angular inclination of the I-beam.

Extending across the top of the door opening and forming the top framework for said opening is the horizontally positioned steel I-beamgenerally indicated at 6 and best seen in FIGS. 6, 8 and 9. Said I-beam 6 is secured at its opposite ends to the front side l-beams 8 and said I-beams 6 and 8 form the door framework 4 for the building structure which forms the trapezoidalshaped door opening. The l-beams 6 and 8 are suitably secured to the front of the building structure and same form the front part of the building structure. Secured inside the forwardly facing side or channel of the top I-beam 6 and extending the length thereof is a-square shaped steel tubular member 30 which is anchored to the top horizontal I-beam 6 by suitable fastening bolts and nuts 32, as seen in FIG. 6, and which also supports the upper hinge leaves 34 of the hinge member 35 which is secured to the top of the door to hingedly support the top of the door, as will be presently described.

The trapezoidal door generally indicated at 38 which is foldable longitudinally to form upper and lower sec tions 40 and 42 respectively, is formed of a framework of square-shaped steel tubular members. The upper section 40 is formed of a top tubular member 44 (FIG. 6) which extends across the top of the door frame of the upper section, with another horizontal steel tubular member 46 (FIG. 5) spaced from the top horizontal tubular member 44. Said horizontally extending tubular members. 44 and 46 are connected at their opposite ends to side steel tubular members 48 of similar shape, said side tubular members being inclined at the angle shown in FIG. 1 to form the framework portion of the upper section of the door. Spaced vertically extending struts 50 extend between and are secured to the upper horizontal tubular member 44 and the lower tubular member 46 of the upper frame and said tubular members and struts form the framework for the upper section of the door.

The lower section 42 of the door is formed by spaced horizontal top and bottom steel tubular members 52 and 54 connected at their opposite sides by side steel tubular members 56 of similar shape. Said spaced side tubular members 56 are inclined, the angle of inclination conforming to the inclination of the sides of the front opening. Likewise, the lower section 42 of the.

door frame is provided with spaced vertically extending struts 58 secured therebetween, which struts are alined with the struts 50 in the upper section of the door. The upper framework section and the lower framework section of the door are each covered by suitable metal sheets 60 and 61 or the like to form a door closure.

The hinge means 35 which extend along the length of the door, best seen in FIG. 6, are provided between the top horizontal tubular member 44 of the door frame and the tubular member of the building structure with the leaf of said hinge means being welded or brazed as at 62 to the top horizontal tubular member 44 and the other leaf 34 of the hinge being bolted, as previously described, to tubular member 30. Hinge means 64 connect the lower end of the top section 40 of the door to the top of the lower section 42 of the door, said hinge means being best shown in FIG. 9, to permit the hinging and/or folding of the two door sections 40 and 42 with respect to each other.

As best seen in FIG. 9, the upper sheathing 60 extends below the lower edge of the longitudinal tubular member 46 so that it overlaps the adjacent upper edge of the lower door section when the two sections are in vertically alined position when the door is fully closed (FIG. 8).

As seen in FIG. 6, the top horizontal I-beam 6 supports a rubber covering or hood 66 which extends over and protects the top hinge means as well as the upper portion of the door against rain and the like.

The upper door section 40, best seen in FIG. 5, supports along the longitudinal tubular bottom member 46 a plurality of popper members generally indicated at 68 which are to be operated by the cables, to be presently described, for the purpose or urging the door into its open position as it is moved from the closed to open position and said poppers include a pair of spaced L- shaped brackets 69 fixedly secured to the lower tubular member 46 of the door frame, with said L-shaped brackets supporting a rod 70 to which is secured rearwardly extending spaced arms 72 which carry a crossrod 73. When the lift cable passes over the rod 73, as will be described in connection with the operating mechanism, and the door sections are in a generally vertically alined closed position, the poppers will tend to urge the door sections into open position.

The bottom longitudinal tubular member 54 of the lower door section 42 supports adjacent each of its opposite ends a roller assembly generally indicated at 74 (FIGS. 1 and 2) on which is supported an axially slidable guide means generally indicated at 75 which cooperates with the guide trackway 14 on the side I-beams 8 surrounding the door opening. More specifically and as can best be seen in FIG. 2, the lower horizontal tubular member 54 of the lower door frame section 42 has welded or otherwise secured to it as at 76 a pair of spaced brackets 78 with each pair of brackets supporting a rod 79 on which is mounted a rotatable roller 80. Supported for axial slidable movement on the roller 80 is a sleeve portion 81 of the guide means, which sleeve portion has a rearwardly extending arm 82 on the end of which is supported a transversely extending rod 83 which supports a pair of spaced rollers 84. The rollers are positioned in the guide trackway 14 with the arm 82 extending in the guideway slot 20. As the door moves upwardly to its open position the sleeve 81 of the guide means will slide axially on the roller and move from its outermost position on said roller when the door is in fully closed position towards the inner end of the roller as the guiding member moves along the inclined guide trackway 14. The door is thus guided adjacent its opposite sides along the opposite guide trackways l4 and the lower section 42 of the door will be held adjacent the side I-beams 8 of the frame so that the lower door section does not move away from the surrounding door opening.

The means for operating the door are shown schematically in FIGS. 3 and 7 and will now be described.

Mounted adjacent the lower portion of the lower section on the longitudinal bottom tubular member by any suitable means is an electric motor 86 which through a gear reduction box 87 operates a pair of spaced drums 88, the drums being supported in suitable bearings. The motor and drums are centrally positioned on the door. Mounted on each of the-drums is a cable 89 which extends upwardly and across a pair of pulleys 90 and 91 supported on the top horizontal tubular member 30 of the doorway. Said cable passes downwardly and passes around another pulley 92 secured to the bottom horizontal tubular member 54 of the door of the lower section and then extends upwardly and is anchored as at 94 to the top edge of the framework of the building. This is so on each side of the motor and the door. A conventional control box 96 is connected by an electrical cable 97 to a source of currentsupply. The cables 89 also pass over the poppers 68 (FIG. 5) of the door sections for the purpose hereinafter described.

When the door is in fully closed position, as seen in FIG. 8, and the electric motor is operated to operate the reduction gears 87 to rotate the drums 88 and winding up the cables on said drums, the lower section 42 of the door as it moves upwardly (FIG. 9) willcorrespondingly move the upper section 40 of the door upwardly until the lower section 42 of the door assumes a substantially horizontal position, as seen in dotted lines in FIG. 9 and in FIG. 10, when the door is in its fully open or retracted position. At all times as the door moves upwardly the lower portion of the door remains connected through the guiding means and controlled so that as'it moves upward to its open position or downward to its closed position the rollers 84 will ride in the inclined tracks 14 on the side I-beams 8. When the door is in fully folded or collapsed position the side edges ofthe lower section of the door will extend laterally of the upper portion of the sides of the building structure, as seen in FIG. 10. Conventional means are provided for locking the gear means when the door is elevated to prevent the door from moving downwardly. When the door is operated to lower it to closed position from its fully open position the motor is operated to reverse the rotation of the drums so that as the cables slacken on each drum the door will descend until it reaches its final closed position, as viewed in FIG. 8.

What is claimed is:

l. A door for use in connection with a building structure having a trapezoidal-shaped door opening, said door comprising a plurality of sections hingedly or pivotally connected to each other, said sections when the door is in fully closed position having a trapezoidal shape to conform to the trapezoidal opening of the building structure to close said opening, means for moving said sections relative to each other and for lifting said door to open position to uncover said opening of said building structure, means connecting at least one of said door sections to said building structure adjacent said door openingso that the upward and downward movement of said door as it folds and unfolds in moving to open and closed positions is held adjacent and in close proximity to the building structure, said last mentioned connecting means comprising a horizontally positioned member adjacent the bottom of the lower section of the door supporting an axially movable member thereon which is connected to the building structure and moves upwardly and inwardly at an inclined angle as the door moves to open position and downwardly and outwardly at an inclined angle as the door moves to a closed position.

2. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the door is provided with electrically operated means which operates a cable for raising the door.

3. A structure as set forth in claim 2 in which the electrically operated means is mounted on the lower door section.

4. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the door is formed of a pair of sections with said sections hinged to each other and with the upper section hinged to the top of the door frame and in which as said section moves to open position the lower section is held in close proximity to the building frame as it moves upwardly and throughout its upward travel and in which the lower section is positioned generally horizontal when said door is in its fully open position and in which the sides of the lower section extend laterally of the top of the door frame when the door is in its fully open position.

5. A structure as set forth in claim 4 in which the door is formed ofa frame having steel tubular members forming the perimeter of each of the frames of the upper and lower sections with a metal covering extending over each said section.

6. A structure as set forth in claim 5 in which the bottom edge of the metal covering of the upper section extends over the top edge of the lower section when the door is in closed position.

7. A door for use in connection with a building structure having a trapezoidal-shaped door opening and a trapezoidal-shaped door frame bordering the trapezoidal door opening, with said door frame having upwardly and outwardly inclined side beams, which side beams support a guide trackway, said door comprising a plurality of sections hingedly 0r pivotally connected to each other, said sections when the door is in fully closed position having a trapezoidal shape to conform to the trapezoidal opening of the building structure to close said opening, means for moving said sections relative to each other and for lifting said door to open position to uncover said opening of said building structure, means connecting the lower section of said door to said building structure adjacent said door opening, said last mentioned connecting means moving in said guide trackway as said door is opened and closed so that the upward and downward movement of said door as it folds andunfolds in moving to open and closed positions is held adjacent and in close proximity to the building structure. I

8. A structure as set forth in claim 7 in which the connecting means which moves in said guide trackway is supported on a horizontally positioned member on the lower door section and slides axially on said horizontally positioned member as the door moves to open and closed positions.

9. A structure as set forth in claim 7 in which the trapezoidal door frame is formed of l-beams.

mamas SIA'IES PATENT OFFICE CERUFIQATE ()F CORRECTION PATERS NO. 3,87l, +36

DAVE?) March 18, 1975 mvmroms; Verne L. Gile it is certified that error appears m the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hemby' corrected as shown beiow' Change Assignee from "Erect-A-Tabe, Inc." to

- 'Erect:--A-Tube, Inc.

Signed and sealed this 27th day of May 1975.

(SEAL) Attest:

C. MARSHALL DANN RUTH C. MASON Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer and Trademarks 

1. A door for use in connection with a building structure having a trapezoidal-shaped door opening, said door comprising a plurality of sections hingedly or pivotally connected to each other, said sections when the door is in fully closed position having a trapezoidal shape to conform to the trapezoidal opening of the building structure to close said opening, means for moving said sections relative to each other and for lifting said door to open position to uncover said opening of said building structure, means connecting at least one of said door sections to said building structure adjacent said door opening so that the upward and downward movement of said door as it folds and unfolds in moving to open and closed positions is held adjacent and in close proximity to the building structure, said last mentioned connecting means comprising a horizontally positioned member adjacent the bottom of the lower section of the door supporting an axially movable member thereon which is connected to the building structure and moves upwardly and inwardly at an inclined angle as the door moves to open position and downwardly and outwardly at an inclined angle as the door moves to a closed position.
 2. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the door is provided with electrically operated means which operates a cable for raising the door.
 3. A structure as set forth in claim 2 in which the electrically operated means is mounted on the lower door section.
 4. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the door is formed of a pair of sections with said sections hinged to each other and with the upper section hinged to the top of the door frame and In which as said section moves to open position the lower section is held in close proximity to the building frame as it moves upwardly and throughout its upward travel and in which the lower section is positioned generally horizontal when said door is in its fully open position and in which the sides of the lower section extend laterally of the top of the door frame when the door is in its fully open position.
 5. A structure as set forth in claim 4 in which the door is formed of a frame having steel tubular members forming the perimeter of each of the frames of the upper and lower sections with a metal covering extending over each said section.
 6. A structure as set forth in claim 5 in which the bottom edge of the metal covering of the upper section extends over the top edge of the lower section when the door is in closed position.
 7. A door for use in connection with a building structure having a trapezoidal-shaped door opening and a trapezoidal-shaped door frame bordering the trapezoidal door opening, with said door frame having upwardly and outwardly inclined side beams, which side beams support a guide trackway, said door comprising a plurality of sections hingedly or pivotally connected to each other, said sections when the door is in fully closed position having a trapezoidal shape to conform to the trapezoidal opening of the building structure to close said opening, means for moving said sections relative to each other and for lifting said door to open position to uncover said opening of said building structure, means connecting the lower section of said door to said building structure adjacent said door opening, said last mentioned connecting means moving in said guide trackway as said door is opened and closed so that the upward and downward movement of said door as it folds and unfolds in moving to open and closed positions is held adjacent and in close proximity to the building structure.
 8. A structure as set forth in claim 7 in which the connecting means which moves in said guide trackway is supported on a horizontally positioned member on the lower door section and slides axially on said horizontally positioned member as the door moves to open and closed positions.
 9. A structure as set forth in claim 7 in which the trapezoidal door frame is formed of I-beams. 